Cosmetology Schools Offer Affordable Service and Experience to Students

Cosmetology schools offer affordable service and experience to students

In today’s economy, many students would like to get their degree as soon as possible and find a job in their major field.

The reality for many students, though, is that majors change, classes become closed and four years becomes five or six. Time in the classroom is just half the battle because the last few years have shown that a degree does not guarantee immediate job offers in a desired field.

There are students working toward a certain goal, though, that in large part are able to avoid these obstacles.

Cosmetology school offers its students course programs that can typically be finished anywhere from three months to one year.

Hair Professionals Career College, 2245 Gateway Drive, Sycamore and Debutantes School of Cosmetology and Nail Technology, 145 N. Third St., DeKalb are two are schools offering this opportunity. Both schools have over 100 students.

These schools offer programs covering cosmetology (hair and makeup), esthetics (beauty and spa treatment), nail technology and an instructor education program.

The time for the courses varies.

“The state mandates the amount of time for a program,” said Tom Rogers, owner of Debutantes. “Cosmetology is 1,500 hours or about one year, esthetics is 750 hours which is about a half a year and nails is 350 hours or about three months.”

Such short program times in comparison to four year curriculums allows for quick entry into the work force. Also, demand for these services have not waned as much as others.

“In my opinion, this is an excellent industry for people to go into,” said Trisha Eppley, school manager of Hair Professionals. “I think there is always a demand for people in our industry, and even with the economy being what it is, people are still going to budget to have these services done.”

Tuition is also a selling point.

“We think this is a great time for this profession. Cost of attending is significantly lower than alternatives,” Rogers said.

Cosmetology is also friendlier to career switches for those who decide they want to do something new or did not have the chance of doing it before.

“It’s something that I had always wanted to do since high school, but never had the opportunity to do. but never had the opportunity to do. I did insurance for 11 years and I finally had the opportunity to follow my dream so I switched over,” said Kat Perkins, senior at Hair Professionals.

Others take changes in life as good reasons to finally pursue their dream.

“I’ve always liked doing my hair, trying to look pretty, making my friends pretty and I was working at a warehouse and got pregnant and could not work there anymore, so I said this is the perfect chance for me to go back to school and not work in a warehouse,” said Theresa Oostmeyer, senior at Hair Professionals.

Both schools double as full salons that cater to both men and women.

The schools preferred not to state any tuition prices as they would like prospective students to come in and talk in-person to discuss financial options available, though both schools said their prices are very competitive with other cosmetology schools.